Over the years, various devices have been constructed for attachment to a line without threading the line through a fixed hole in the device. In many situations a user may wish to rig a line with one or more objects attached to the ends of the line. While using the rigged line the user may also wish to attach an additional object to the line without removing the objects already affixed on either end of the line. For example, a user may attach a reel to one end of a line and a hook to the other. After affixing the reel and hook to the line, the user may decide to add weights, a bobber or other device to the line. Preferably, the additional objects could be added to the line without removing the hook or reel from the line. Devices have been described in an attempt to allow for quick attachment to a line.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,710 issued to Paul et al. describes a rope securement clip for attaching to a rope. Paul et al. describes a clip having opposite facing sets of teeth that grab the rope, but under extreme rope tension the teeth are described as being specifically designed to be unable to hold the rope and will allow the rope to slip through the teeth. In order to grab the rope the separation distance between the opposite facing teeth must be less than the diameter of the rope. A rope with too small a diameter will pass through the slot without being gripped by the teeth. At column 3 lines 14-28 Paul et al. describes that “an important aspect of the present invention is that under certain rope tension conditions, namely that caused by an entangled whale, the clip 10 will break the connection between the rope 16 and the buoy 14. To this end, the size and the type of the rope 16 and the size, shape, angle of taper and number of the teeth 40 determine the threshold tension at which the clip 10 will allow the rope 16 to be released. For example, the size, shape, angle of taper and number of the teeth 40 can be designed to securely grab a given size and type of rope up to a rope tension of about 50 pounds. For rope tensions above 50 pounds, the teeth 40 as designed will not be able to hold the rope 16 and will allow the free end 20 of the rope 16 to extend back through the teeth 40, the hooks 34 and the buoy loop 18 to break the connection between the rope 16 and the buoy 18.” There is a need for an attachment device that attaches and remains affixed to a line independent of the size of rope.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,019,545, 5,435,095, 4,459,775, and 6,651,479 each describe fishing sinkers that include opposite facing gripping members that grip the line when the device is compressed thereby reducing the separation distance between the opposite facing gripping members. By compressing the device, the line is pinched which may cause on unwanted stress point in the line. Hence, there is a need for a device that grips a variety of diameter lines without changing the separation distance between opposing teeth.
Other devices have been described for use as fishing sinkers for attachment to a line without threading an end of the line through the sinker. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,599,973 and 5,239,770 each describe a slip on fishing sinker having a circuitous passageway for threading the line through the sinker. The described circuitous passageways may be difficult to thread the line there through.
Thus, there is a need for a device that is simple, attachable to a line, but may also remain in a fixed position on the line without requiring additional fasteners or pinching of the line. The present invention meets these and other needs that will become apparent from a review of the description of the present invention.